How the virtual world has affected the real world.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/03/04/couples-baby-dies-raise-virtual-daughter-online/
This disturbing article highlights the dangers of neglect due to online games. A korean couple were so preocupied with raising a virtual child, they actually neglected their own baby until it died. Admittedly the mother was admitted to hospital with mental instability.
I believe this is down to two game mechanics. firstly the realism of games are ever improving. An online child can have so many realistic interactions coupled with the fact that feeding, cleaning and general care of an online baby takes seconds, with no mess or physical exhurtion, I believe someone who is obviously not ready or mature enough to handle raising a child would gravitate towards the "easy option" totally engrossing themselves untill they believe the online baby is their actual child.
Secondly I believe this game lures people into the same trap that most MMOs do. Progression is a very addictive mechanic for gameplay. Humans can strive years vying for promotion at work, getting rich, or even public recognition. Most people will rarely achieve any of these criteria, whereas online these are all common occurances. It is little wonder why we as a race, we crave this form of progression in (a virtual) life.
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